Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Candy Cane Lane’ delivers a festive atmosphere to the audience by taking them on a Christmas adventure. The story follows the Carver family’s patriarch, Chris, who is laid off from his job and decides to win the Christmas decoration contest that will get the winner $100,000. Despite his hard work at the decorations, which he creates from scratch, he always loses to his neighbor, who resorts to buying stuff from the market, usually inflatable things, to fill his front yard with decorations. It is when Chris comes across Kringle’s that he finds what he is looking for. Considering how competitive Chris gets and the role that Kringle’s plays in how the events eventually turn out, one might wonder if these things could be real.
Real Life Kringle’s is Very Different from the Movie Kringle’s
The Kringle’s shop in ‘Candy Cane Lane’ belongs to an elf who uses it to trap humans and turn them into ceramic figurines. There’s no real-life elf who does that, but there is a Christmas shop named Kringle’s that sells Christmas and festive decorations all year. Set up in Branson, Missouri, this shop is quite like Pepper’s and offers a variety of options to the customer. They have thousands of ornaments on all sorts of themes, making it a perfect place to shop for someone like Chris Carver, who is obsessed with Christmas and decorations. They also have hand-crafted products from local artists, which is something that Chris would approve of.
There is another place called Kringle’s, which opens only in December of every year, but it’s not a shop. Kringle’s Christmas Land offers a Christmas experience to people. Set up in Jenks, Oklahoma, its lights come on on December 1, and it remains operational till December 31. Described as a “magical winter event,” it offers a variety of things to the audience, from “voice-narrated holiday story” to “life-size animated displays.” Apart from this, the place also has “elaborate special effects and realistic snow blowing in the middle of the blizzard scene truly bring vintage family Christmas elements to life.”
While both these Kringle’s are real, they have no connection to the elf’s Christmas shop in the movie. In fact, to showcase how unique Pepper’s shop is, Amazon has created a Kringle’s Virtual Holiday Shop, which people can visit from the comfort of their homes. It has options for shopping as well as exploration. You can get your own ceramic figurine and explore the miniature model towns, like the ones where Pip and other figurines live until they return to being humans. The shop also has “Easter eggs, Sweepstakes, and surprise-and-delight moments from the film.” It also offers people a chance to find the five golden rings, making them live a part of Chris Carver and his family’s adventure.
Candy Cane Lane is a Fictional Competition
People love to decorate their houses during Christmas time, and there are several competitions, mostly local, that encourage this creativity. Christmas decoration contests are not unheard of, but the one shown in the Prime Video movie is entirely fictional. The Candy Cane Lane contest, which offers the prize money of $100,000 is not real. It’s just a plot device used to push the narrative of Chris Carver and his family’s journey as they try to save themselves from Pepper’s evil plans. It is, however, inspired by real-life contests and maybe even reflects the competitive spirit that some people indulge in during Christmas time. However, it remains unconfirmed whether someone like Chris has ever made a deal with an elf that has landed them in a ton of trouble.
Read More: Candy Cane Lane Post-Credits: What Happens to Pepper? Who Runs Kringle’s Now?
